Squads for ICC Women's World Cup India 2013 announced

Dubai, Jan.2 (ANI): England's Charlotte Edwards has been picked for her fifth successive World Cup, while her Indian counterpart, Mithali Raj, has been selected for her fourth successive World Cup after all eight countries finalized their squads for the ICC Women's World Cup India 2013 to be staged in Mumbai from 31 January to 17 February.*

The eight squads see some interesting selections, including the return to the South Africa squad of former captain Cri-Zelda Brits, who in 2011 took an indefinite break from the international game.

The West Indies side includes a number of players featuring in their first Women's World Cup, including Guyanese batter June Ogle-Thomas and twin sisters, Kycia and Kyshona Knight, from Barbados. The Knight sisters will become the second set of twins, after Alex and Kate Blackwell of Australia (2005), to feature in the same Women's World Cup squad.

Edwards was named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2008 and has played in 160 ODIs for her country, including 23 ODIs in World Cups. With 4, 783 international runs, including 912 in World Cups, she is third on the list of most successful batters behind Belinda Clark and Karen Rolton of Australia.

Just below Edwards on that list is India captain Raj with 4,490 ODI runs to her name. Raj will be appearing in her fourth successive ICC Women's World Cup and the 30-year-old from Rajasthan currently tops the Reliance ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings for batters.**

For the Pakistan women, it will be their second experience of the most prized tournament in women's cricket with a number of the side that headed to Australia in 2009 heading to India this year, including captain Sana Mir, Bismah Maroof, Javeria Khan, Nain Abidi, Qanita Jalill and Asmavia Iqbal Khokhar.